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Groot Wasn’t Always Going To Be A Baby In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Marvel Studios never expected Baby Groot to be so massively popular. Following his brief appearance at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy back in 2014, they were suddenly met with a huge demand for toys and merchandise based on the character, and while some followed, they really missed a trick by not getting the goods into stores sooner.

Of course, to do so would have ruined a huge moment in the movie, but with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 putting the adorable Baby Groot at the forefront of its marketing campaign, moviegoers have fallen in love with him and will be happily splashing the cash in a couple of months from now on everything from Funko Pops to plush toys.

However, things could have been very, very different. In a recent interview, James Gunn confirmed that he didn’t initially consider including Baby Groot in the sequel and that he originally envisioned him being back to his old self by the time Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 begins.

“A hundred percent, I started out thinking of him as full grown, and I didn’t have him grow up. Then all of a sudden I thought, ‘that’s what [fans] would think [we] would do, and I really don’t have to stick with that.’ “It could be baby Groot, and baby Groot is very different. He’s a unique little fella, and he’s pretty great in the movie even though he’s not even [physically] there [on set].

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Continuing on, Gunn mentioned that in the sequel, Baby Groot will be a bit of a jerk, and an idiot:

But all the time Chris [Pratt, Star-Lord] is like ‘G-d dammit, he’s gonna steal the f***ing movie.’ And it’s nothing. It’s nothing there, but he’s funny even in the dailies we’re watching. And we got the guy on a stick, and people are laughing! There’s something really cool about him, and he’s funny in the movie. He’s a little jerk too. He can kick some ass… he’s also an idiot. He’s a baby, he’s not very smart.”

It’s hard not to wonder if Marvel might have pushed Gunn to keep Baby Groot because of the merchandise possibilities (you just know that he’s going to be in every single Disney Store this summer), but what the director says here is still quite interesting.

What do you think about Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2comments? As always, sound off with your thoughts in the comments section down below.